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How a Tech Entrepreneur Reshaped Indianapolis' Live Music Scene | Scott Kraege, Forty5, The Vogue, and Rock the Ruins
On today's show I sat down with Indianapolis entrepreneur and entertainment operator Scott Kraege, who shares his 18-year "overnight success" journey and today is a managing partner at Ivy Ventures, Forty5 partner, and co-owner of The Vogue Theatre, a concert venue in Broad Ripple. Kraege's journey started with him selling cell phones out of his car in 1999 to founding the enterprise device-management software company MOBI (later Tangoe), growing it to 350 employees, and selling in 2018. He explains his approach to investing and mentorship, emphasizing that founders and people matter most and that startups often evolve far from their original idea. He describes post-exit life, joining The Heritage Group's venture program, and later buying The Vogue in 2019 with partners, then navigating COVID shutdowns, staffing losses, and creative pivots. He also details how Forty5 expanded into multiple venues and outdoor series like Rock the Ruins, plus launching Opendate software, and discusses sponsorships, public-private partnerships, and future concert infrastructure needs in Indianapolis. If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast. You are going to learn about: - Scott Kraege's Journey from Cell Phones to Indianapolis' Live Entertainment Scene - The Origin of Rock the Ruins and How Park Concerts Work - Indy's Future with Live Music Thank you to our partners: Keller & Keller Check out these great clips from the show: 00:00 Ten-Year Success Myth 01:30 Guest Introduction: Scott Kraege, Forty5, The Vogue, and Rock the Ruins 02:56 First Startup Cell Phones 04:45 Inc 500 Growth Lessons 05:18 Building MOBI To Exit 07:17 Ten-Year Founder Mindset 09:20 Mentors Indy Culture 14:20 Post-Exit Identity Reset 17:10 Venture Investing 19:30 How VCs Pick Founders 21:45 Buying The Vogue 23:03 Vogue History Legends 26:48 COVID Shutdown Survival 30:34 Forty5 Opendate Launch 33:15 Rock The Ruins Origin 37:19 Turntable Venue Pipeline 38:45 Making Park Concerts Work 40:39 Rock the Ruins Vibe 41:20 Big Venues vs Easy Shows 42:05 Final Four Mall Concerts 43:28 How ALM Happened 44:37 Beach Festival Inspiration 45:21 Sponsor Village Strategy 47:04 Why Sponsors Matter 49:44 Broad Ripple Park Shows 52:20 Future of Indy Live Music 54:08 Dream Venues and Infrastructure 57:03 Why Indiana Home 58:39 Concert Memories and Dream Acts 01:05:12 Hidden Gems and Hoosiers Get IN. is brought to you by our friends at Sweetwater. Whether you are looking to start a podcast or level up your current show you need to hit them up.
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